EPA moves to repeal rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed repealing rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action that Administrator Lee Zeldin said would remove billions of dollars in costs for industry and “unleash” American energy. The EPA also proposed weakening...
Medical experts slam Kennedy’s dismissal of CDC vaccine advisers
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to remove every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has sparked major outcry among the health care community. Some medical experts, including doctors in Western Pennsylvania, say he has created a hostile environment for vaccines. On Monday,...
Study: If U.S. halted fluoride, kids’ cavities would grow by millions
Fluoride — it’s in your toothpaste, your drinking water and now the occasional legislative bill. Two U.S. states have already decided to stop adding it to their water supplies — a trend concerning local dental experts. Now, a new study has discovered what banning the mineral on a larger scale...
RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee
WASHINGTON — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks. Major physicians and public health groups criticized the move to...
‘We dissent’: NIH scientists publish declaration criticizing Trump’s deep cuts in public health research
WASHINGTON — In his confirmation hearings to lead the National Institutes of Health, Jay Bhattacharya pledged his openness to views that might conflict with his own. “Dissent,” he said, “is the very essence of science.” That commitment is being put to the test. On Monday, scores of scientists at the...
At UPMC’s Stroke Camp, survivors build their skills and strut their stuff
After getting a little help with his footing, Jay Perino used his legs to push his body up the rock wall, reaching for the closest handhold. For someone with limited mobility on the left side of his body as a result of a stroke, it was no easy feat. Must...
Salmonella outbreak tied to eggs sickens dozens across 7 states
A salmonella outbreak linked to a large egg recall has made dozens of people sick in seven states in the West and Midwest, federal health officials said. The August Egg Company recalled about 1.7 million brown organic and brown cage-free egg varieties distributed to grocery stores between February and May...
Demand for Mohs surgery skyrockets; treatment up to 99% effective for skin cancer
Erin Wheeler has always known she was at high risk for skin cancer. A kidney transplant, combined with fair skin from her Irish heritage, put skin cancer on her radar at age 10. Some three decades later, Wheeler, a senior career consultant at the University of Pittsburgh, is a quasi-regular...
Report: Medicaid cuts will hurt Pa. hospitals, patients
Some Western Pennsylvania hospitals could see an increase in uninsured patients and corresponding drop in reimbursements from Medicaid if the U.S. House-approved $723 billion in funding cuts to states is enacted, health advocates and state officials say. Ultimately, that could cause a reduction in services, officials said. “They’re (hospitals) going...
Pitt QB shaves head for girl recovering from transplant, family facing immigration issues
Pitt Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein, his teammates and coaches are doing their part to boost the spirits of Julia Espinosa. The 13-year-old patient at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has complex health issues that prompted her to decide to shave her head after she lost most of her hair. Her...
New covid variant could come with extremely painful symptom
Just when we all thought covid was far behind us, a new variant has emerged to threaten our well-being once again. The new variant, known as NB.1.8.1, has made its way to the United States. The variant, which was first discovered in China earlier this year, currently accounts for 10%...
Trump EPA moves to roll back rules projected to save billions of dollars and thousands of lives
When the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a wide-ranging rollback of environmental regulations, he said it would put a “dagger through the heart of climate-change religion” and introduce a “Golden Age” for the American economy. What Lee Zeldin didn’t mention: how ending the rules could have devastating consequences...
Ground beef sold at Whole Foods may be tainted with E. coli, USDA says
U.S. agriculture officials are warning that ground beef sold at Whole Foods markets nationwide may be contaminated with potentially dangerous E. coli bacteria. Officials issued a public health alert for 1-pound, vacuum-packed packages of Organic Rancher beef, produced on May 22 and May 23, by NPC Processing Inc., of Shelburne,...
Texas hospital that discharged woman with doomed pregnancy violated the law, a federal inquiry finds
WASHINGTON — A Texas hospital that repeatedly sent a woman who was bleeding and in pain home without ending her nonviable, life-threatening pregnancy violated the law, according to a newly released federal investigation. The government’s findings, which have not been previously reported, were a small victory for 36-year-old Kyleigh Thurman,...
Measles vaccination rates drop after covid-19 pandemic in counties across the U.S.
Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the covid-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data — including in states that are battling outbreaks this year. A Johns Hopkins University study, published in JAMA this week, illustrates where more vulnerable...
UPMC reports $237 million operating income in Q1 2025
UPMC is off to a strong financial start in 2025, with both its health care and insurance services in the black last quarter for a total operating income of $237 million. The health care network made $142 million, while the insurance side — a drag on many recent quarterly reports...
‘I’m thinking I’m going crazy’: Woman finds stranger in mom’s room at UPMC Mercy hospital
Rae Corrado walked into a room at UPMC Mercy hospital expecting to find her mother. But instead of her mother, Gloria, she came face to face on Friday with a stranger lying in the hospital bed. A nurse insisted the unknown woman was her mother, Corrado of Oakmont told TribLive....
Some tomatoes, cucumbers sold in Pennsylvania recalled
Tomatoes and cucumbers purchased at local Western Pennsylvania stores could be contaminated with salmonella, health officials said. Ray & Mascari Inc. of Indianapolis, recalled 4 Count Vine Ripe Tomatoes packaged in clam shell containers because of potential contamination with salmonella. Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young...
Kennedy has ordered a review of baby formula. Here’s what you should know
As federal health officials vow to overhaul the U.S. food supply, they’re taking a new look at infant formula. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has directed the Food and Drug Administration to review the nutrients and other ingredients in infant formula, which fills the bottles of millions of American...
From soda to white bread, ultraprocessed foods increase risk of early death, research shows
ATLANTA — People eating ultraprocessed foods might be snacking their way to an earlier death. That’s according to the latest research on some of America’s favorite foods. From white bread to soda, the hallmark features of ultraprocessed foods include added sugar, salt, hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, preservatives and starches. Ultraprocessed...
All international travelers should get measles vaccinations, CDC says
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials have changed their advice to international travelers about measles, saying that Americans should be vaccinated against the virus no matter where they’re going. U.S. residents are recommended to get measles-mumps-rubella shots, anyway. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously emphasized the importance...
Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows
A three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients and kept disease at bay, a first-of-its-kind international experiment showed. With the benefits rivaling some drugs, experts said cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care for colon cancer survivors. Until then, patients...
RFK Jr. says autism ‘destroys’ families. Here’s what those families want you to know
WASHINGTON — Emery Eversoll and her mother shared a good laugh when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that some autistic children will never write poems. The 16-year-old’s bedroom is full of notebooks featuring her prose. Sometimes, she quietly recites poetry to get through an outburst...
FDA approves Moderna’s new lower-dose covid-19 vaccine
The U.S. approved a new covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna late Friday but with limits on who can use it — not a replacement for the company’s existing shot, but a second option. The new vaccine, mNexspike, is a step toward next-generation coronavirus vaccines. It’s made in a way that...
Dozens sickened in expanding salmonella outbreak linked to recalled cucumbers
Nearly four dozen people in 18 states have been sickened in an expanding outbreak of salmonella food poisoning tied to recalled cucumbers sent to restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships and grocery stores, including Target stores, federal health officials said Friday. At least 16 people have been hospitalized after eating cucumbers produced...
